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S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 MANAMA 001851
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/29/2016
TAGS: PRELMARRPARMBAIRREGIONBILATOFFICIALS
SUBJECT: MFA PLEASED WITH SUBSTANCE OF GSD INITIATIVE
REF: STATE 171822
Classified By: Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
.
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Summary
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¶1. (S) MFA Assistant Under Secretary Shaikh Abdul Aziz bin
Mubarak told the interagency Gulf Security Dialogue (GSD)
delegation October 18 that the Dialogue is a serious effort
with "substance, not just ideas" to deal with regional
security. He sees U.S. proposals to improve bilateral
military interoperability as a political breakthrough
demonstrating U.S. confidence in Bahrain. Bahrain will
participate in the upcoming Proliferation Security Initiative
and seeks additional joint military exercises. Iran
represents a great challenge for the region - directly, with
its nuclear program - and indirectly, by feeding extremism.
The U.S. and Gulf countries should have a strategy to win
over the majority of Iranian people by showing them the
better standard of living on the Arab side of the Gulf and
the benefits of strong relations with the U.S. and the West.
A nuclear Iran would try to use its military might to support
political ambitions. On Lebanon, the U.S. and international
community missed an opportunity to use Egyptian and Saudi
criticism of the kidnapping operation to generate momentum
against Hizballah. The Bahraini Foreign Minister visited
Damascus recently to deliver a strong message to President
Asad, telling him that Syria must decide which camp it is
with. On Iraq, Shaikh Abdul Aziz complimented U.S.
commitment, patience, and determination. End Summary.
¶2. (S) The interagency Gulf Security Dialogue delegation led
by Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military
Affairs John Hillen and Assistant Secretary of Defense for
International Security Affairs Peter Rodman met with Ministry
of Foreign Affairs Assistant Under Secretary for Coordination
and Follow Up Shaikh Abdul Aziz bin Mubarak Al Khalifa
October 18 to discuss achieving progress on the six pillars
of the Dialogue (reftel). The delegation also met with King
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Crown Prince Shaikh Salman bin
Hamad Al Khalifa, and Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Mohammed
bin Mubarak Al Khalifa (septels).
----------------------------------
Serious Effort to Advance Dialogue
----------------------------------
¶3. (S) Shaikh Abdul Aziz welcomed the GSD delegation to
Bahrain, noting that the MFA had coordinated internal
interministerial meetings to prepare for the visit. He
pledged that the delegation would find that Bahrain was
making a serious effort to move the Dialogue forward in a
positive way. He noted that some European countries had
recently sent delegations representing their foreign affairs
and defense ministries to the GCC countries to talk about
regional security. But the U.S. GSD read-ahead paper was the
first one to contain substance rather than just general
ideas. A/S Hillen said the U.S. side wanted to move ahead
quickly on concrete steps. Doing so would send the right
signals. The U.S. was engaging with the GCC countries
bilaterally, and each country moves at its own pace. In
Bahrain, there is a history of real on-the-ground
cooperation, enabling us to move quickly. He proposed that
to implement the Dialogue, there be two meetings each year to
discuss the full range of issues while working groups
focusing on individual agenda items meet as necessary.
¶4. (S) On the first point in the paper, Enhanced Defensive
Capabilities and Cooperation, Shaikh Abdul Aziz said that the
GOB sees improving bilateral interoperability as a great
breakthrough politically demonstrating U.S. confidence in
Bahrain, and the GOB wants to move ahead. Bahrain will
participate in the upcoming Proliferation Security Initiative
(PSI) exercise and the Bahrain Defense Force is interested in
doing more exercises. Bahrain needs better air defenses, and
maritime security should always be a priority. A/S Hillen
stated that the U.S. wants to look at security assistance
creatively with Bahrain. The USG reformed its assistance
process this year and there are some new possibilities, but
the GSD team wants to learn how the region views things. To
make quick advances on air defense, there will need to be a
more significant front-end investment by the host countries.
----------------------
MANAMA 00001851 002 OF 003
Iran Feeding Extremism
----------------------
¶5. (S) Regarding Iran, Shaikh Abdul Aziz said that Bahrain's
challenge is to live next door to a country that causes so
many problems - directly, with its nuclear program - and
indirectly, by feeding extremism. With its population of
70-80 million, Iran can serve as a breeding ground for
extremists who operate in Iraq and other areas. Bahrain has
said that it does not want Iran to turn into a "nuclear
weapons factory," but the GOB must be cautious before making
political decisions on Iran. Bahrain fears Iranian moderates
can be radicalized as a result of the international community
making wrong decisions.
¶6. (S) A/S Hillen said the U.S. does not see the GSD process
as an attempt to provoke Iran. Rather, the goal is to harden
our joint defensive capabilities, and therefore exert
indirect pressure on Iran to behave responsibly on its
nuclear program, terrorism, and proliferation. The U.S.
wants to solve the confrontation peacefully, through the UN
and IAEA, in addition to steps the U.S. and its allies can
take to tie our defense interests together. Doing so would
send a signal that Iran's actions and rhetoric are making
them less, not more, secure. Shaikh Abdul Aziz said he was
pleased Bahrain's input was considered seriously. Bahrain is
always on "red alert" with Iran. Ideally, the U.S. and Gulf
countries would have a strategy to win over the majority of
the people in Iran by showing them the better standard of
living on the Arab side of the Gulf and the benefits of
strong relations with the U.S. and the West. Once Iranian
leaders see a loss of domestic support because of not
providing for their people, things can change inside the
country. It would be better if the GCC were united in this
effort, but Bahrain does not want to wait.
------------------------------------
Iranian Meddling in Bahraini Affairs
------------------------------------
¶7. (S) Iran, Shaikh Abdul Aziz continued, has a tendency to
get involved in Bahrain's internal affairs. It is acceptable
for there to be demonstrations in Bahrain on unemployment,
but Iran should not have a hand in politicizing the
demonstrations. Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al
Khalifa visited Iran and said publicly that Iranian religious
groups influence Bahraini groups, which they should not be
doing. The Iranians did not like Shaikh Khalid saying this,
but it is true. Bahrain likes its citizens to have opinions
but "we won't stand for them (Iran) changing our open
system." It would be useful, Shaikh Abdul Aziz said, for the
GCC to meet to discuss how to deal with Iran.
¶8. (S) A/S Rodman pointed out that there are contradictions
inside Iran. We believe that a majority of Iranians do not
like the regime and are not hearing the truth about the
nuclear program. They do not know that it is a weapons
program that comes with a cost of political and economic
isolation. Shaikh Abdul Aziz said that even if people knew
it was a weapons program, they would dismiss sanctions,
claiming it is Iran's sovereign right to have the program.
They may ask, why do some countries have nuclear weapons and
others do not? A/S Rodman replied that just having nuclear
weapons, even without using them, would change the regional
political climate. Shaikh Abdul Aziz agreed that Iranians
believe that military might supports their political
ambitions. He suggested that perhaps the GSD working group on
Iran should invite some Iranian think-tank analysts to
participate in a discussion.
---------------------------
Arab Criticism of Hizballah
---------------------------
¶9. (S) On Lebanon, Shaikh Abdul Aziz said that for the first
time ever, Egypt and Saudi Arabia had criticized Hizballah
for kidnapping Israeli soldiers. It was a "huge coup" for
Arab governments to criticize any group attacking Israelis.
The U.S. and international community should have taken
advantage of the Egyptian and Saudi positions by using them
as a way to generate momentum against Hizballah. Instead,
the opposite happened - Israel invaded, and now there is
tremendous support for Hizballah.
¶10. (S) A/S Hillen replied that the U.S. recognized the
importance of taking advantage of the Egyptian and Saudi
positions, but things had changed very quickly during the
MANAMA 00001851 003 OF 003
conflict. Now our focus is on building up the authority of
the Lebanese government and the Arab countries can assist in
this process. Hizballah should not be allowed to operate as
a state within a state. A/S Rodman said the Arab world
should take note of Syria's role in the crisis. The Syrian
government is trying to exert influence over the Siniora
government with renewed pressure. Shaikh Abdul Aziz said the
Bahraini government is against the Syrian position and is one
of the few countries that is doing something about it.
Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid visited Damascus recently at
King Hamad's instruction to pass President Asad Bahrain's
views. The message was, "Whose side is Syria on?" Syria has
to make a choice about which camp it is with. Unfortunately,
Shaikh Abdul Aziz said, Bashar does not have the character to
make bold decisions. "We need to cut loose from countries
who don't think like us, and move forward."
----------------------------------------
Infrastructure, Terrorism, Proliferation
----------------------------------------
¶11. (S) Turning to the next agenda item, Shaikh Abdul Aziz
asked for the USG's views on protecting critical
infrastructure. A/S Hillen said the attack on the Abqaiq
refinery highlighted the vulnerabilities of infrastructure
upon which the world economy depends. The focus is to harden
defenses of these types of facilities in addition to
conducting a broader risk management analysis looking at
other means to deliver oil and developing alternative energy
sources. Shaikh Abdul Aziz agreed this is a very important
subject and wondered why so much of the region's oil passes
through the Strait of Hormuz while some could be transported
by pipeline to the Red Sea.
¶12. (S) A/S Hillen asked about the status of the planned GCC
regional counter-terrorism center to be located in Bahrain.
Shaikh Abdul Aziz said the effort was initiated by Saudi
Arabia, which at the last minute asked Bahrain to host it.
Officially, the status of the center is pending.
Off-the-record, it is not likely that the center will be
located in Bahrain. Shaikh Abdul Aziz said that Bahrain is
doing its part internationally to combat terrorism. It
recently passed a new counter-terrorism law and anti-money
laundering/combating the financing of terror law, and has
adopted 11 of the 12 UN counter-terrorism conventions. A/S
Hillen stated that it is important that Bahrain and the other
GCC countries continue to make practical progress on
intelligence-sharing, laws, and monitoring the financial
sector and charities.
¶13. (S) On counter-proliferation, Shaikh Abdul Aziz said
that Bahrain had joined PSI and would participate in the
upcoming exercise. A/S Hillen asked that Bahrain encourage
others, including southeast Asian nations, to join PSI.
Shaikh Abdul Aziz suggested that the U.S. could propose that
those countries follow up with Bahrain on the exercise in the
Gulf.
------------------
Commitment to Iraq
------------------
¶14. (S) Shaikh Abdul Aziz said that regarding Iraq, people
admire the commitment, patience, and determination of the
United States. Bahrain has a particular interest in Iraq
because of its Shia population. He asked for the views of
the GSD delegates. A/S Rodman said the President is sticking
to his Iraq policy. There will be no U.S. withdrawal until
conditions warrant. RADM Moeller said Iraqi security forces
and army are becoming more effective and are gaining the
respect of fellow citizens. Although Baghdad is violent,
other parts of the country are better. Improving police
performance is a problem and represents a long term challenge.
¶15. (U) A/S Hillen and A/S Rodman cleared this cable.
********************************************* ********
Visit Embassy Manama's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/manama/
********************************************* ********
MONROE